Maoists call 48-hour shutdown

After announcing their plan to fight the "fascist" Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Maoists have called a 48-hour shutdown in Bihar and Jharkhand on Monday and Tuesday to protest against the violence in Nandigram of neighbouring West Bengal.

The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) issued a statement on Thursday night calling for the shutdown.

Officials said the state government has decided to put the police on alert and deploy additional forces. East Central Railway may cancel a few trains.

A statement issued on Wednesday by CPI-Maoist said: "We unequivocally support the just cause of the people of Nandigram and assure them that we shall stand firmly by them in their just and democratic struggle against pro-imperialist policies of the CPI-M and the fascist repression let loose by the state and central government."

Maoist leaders said "the red-flag-bearing government of West Bengal has openly come out in support of capitalists and was uprooting farmers and their families from the land to make room for industrialists".

CPI-Maoist's Bihar-Jharkhand special area committee secretary Rakesh said: "This is not a question of Nandigram or West Bengal alone but also of Orissa, Jharkhand and other places in the country where special economic zones (SEZs) are being set up at the behest of the centre and touts of multinational companies are letting loose a reign of terror on innocent people."

The Maoists have asked people living around areas demarcated for SEZs across the country to join their agitation.